Reddit mentions of Iron Coffins: A Personal Account Of The German U-boat Battles Of World War II

Later in WW2, German U-boats were being decimated because they had limited range on battery power while submerged. They invented a snorkel device for the intake and exhaust to allow submerged running on diesel power.

The crews hated them because they couldn't track waves well enough. When a wave interrupted the airflow, every crew member paid the price with their eardrums.

PS. Iron Coffins is a good personal account of what it was like as a German.

If you ever get a hold of this book by Herbert Werner, a former U Boat commander do pick it up. Astounding accounts of U-Boat warfare and the dangers of being in an U Boat.

Iron Coffins by Herbert Werner is a great book about life on a U-boat.

I can recommend Iron coffins

www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/030681160X?pc_redir=1408807101&robot_redir=1

It is non-fiction but it is not a novel.

I have a few. These are all first hand accounts.

Iron Coffins by Herbert A. Werner
This started my fascination with U-Boats.

To Fly and to Fight by Col. Bud Anderson

A Mustang triple ace


Steel Boats Iron Hearts by Hans Goebler
The story of the U-Boat 505.


I'll add more later.

It is. From what I recall, U-boats suffered the greatest losses in lives percentage-wise. They were called the Iron Coffins, which is also the title of a book.

There are many other good and interesting books on the topic, including the memoirs of Karl Dönitz, admiral who led the U-boat arm.

From an American perspective, Goodbye Darkness by William Manchester

From a German perspective, Iron Coffins by Herbert Werner

If you're interested in a U-boat captain's perspective, I highly recommend Iron Coffins. It's a great read. I cannot recommend it enough.